An autopsy Tuesday found that she suffered multiple stab and incise wounds and her death was ruled a homicide, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office.

Michaels was a former model and mother of five whose life had unraveled in recent years, her estranged husband Stephen Michaels told the Chicago Sun-Times via phone from his Minneapolis home.

She had traveled to Chicago with two Minnesota women, likely to work as prostitutes, he said as he fought back tears.

Originally from Minneapolis, Sarai Michaels had modeled for catalogues and in a 7-Up advertisement before she gave birth to her oldest daughter 10 years ago, he added.

She bore him a son two years later, but when their marriage collapsed, she fell in with a bad man who beat her and “led her down the wrong path,” he said.

Court records show she was arrested for prostitution in St. Louis in 2004.

She had three more children, moved to La Crosse, Wis., and worked as a waitress, but had all five children taken away by the state earlier this year, her husband said. Court records show she was the victim of a domestic assault at the hands of the father of her younger three children. She was also charged with neglecting a child after a DUI stop in September last year.

Hotel Felix general manager George Jordan said the hotel staff called 911 after Michaels was stabbed, but police were already on their way.

“This does not appear to be a random event, and I want to stress that. Apparently, these people knew each other,” Jordan said, “and we are of course very saddened by this. Our heart goes out to the victim’s family.”

Hotel guests and neighbors were shocked by the gruesome act Tuesday morning.

“I’m surprised – that’s about it,” said guest John Wong, who said he had heard about the incident on the news.

“It’s pretty upscale; a nice neighborhood too, so I can’t believe that would happen,” said River North resident Bennett Dilly.